The Paleo Diet

As we age, we tend to look at different ways to eat healthily and perhaps lose some extra weight. I’ve covered a number of diets including sugar detox, keto, intermittent fasting and now paleo. Let’s look at the ins and outs of this eating plan and how it got started.

What is Paleo Diet

The paleo diet has been around for years but has only recently started becoming more popular. This is because more people are starting to realize the amazing health benefits that come with eating the way that our bodies were meant to eat.

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Eating paleo means eating the way that our ancestors ate. Long before drive thru windows and frozen convenience foods people had to wake up every day, find food, and prepare that food. As you can imagine, this required a great deal of physical and mental strength. Our ancestors had to be at peak performance at all times so that they could keep up with the physical demands of their lifestyle.

It’s also been called the Caveman diet. Because for them, food was fuel. The fuel that was needed to survive. This is what makes the paleo diet so different. When you eat paleo you know that you are truly fueling your body and not just ‘filling’ it. There are many diets out there that claim they can help you to lose weight, and many of them will indeed help you to reach that goal. But there is a difference between losing weight and fueling the body.

If you are interested in following a paleo diet, the basis of the diet is this: lean proteins such as fish, lean meats, fruits and vegetables and seeds. Think of things the cavemen could gather to eat. These are the foods. There is no dairy. There are no grains. There are no legumes. No processed foods or refined sugars. Sounds pretty basic.

Benefits of Paleo

A lot of people choose the paleo diet to lose weight. Weight loss is great because even losing just a little bit of weight can help you become more healthy. And being healthier can also protect your body against illness. Several people have also found that it helps to increase energy levels.

Some have found that eating a paleo diet helps to reset your whole body. This means that you will be able to increase your mental clarity, clear your skin, raise your energy levels, and find your body’s ideal weight naturally. And you will be able to do all of this while boosting your immune system, reducing inflammation in the body, and giving your body the tools it needs to be truly healthy.

Is Paleo Right for You

Whether you are looking to simply shed a few pounds or you are looking to completely transform your health, the paleo diet can help you to achieve that. While starting this way of life might seem intimidating, with a little effort it can fit into every lifestyle. Some people don’t change their eating habits because they dont’ know where to start.

Start where you are and do what you can. Sometimes new diets mean you need to clean out the kitchen or stop buying foods that aren’t part of the diet. Staying on track can be challenging too.

For instance, if you work long hours, you can look for easy meal prep. Find recipes that you can batch cook and freeze. This will give you something to eat for dinner each night, and you can use your leftovers as lunch the next day.

The paleo diet can be expensive too. It’s based around eating lean meats like wild game, grass-fed animals and fish like salmon and albacore tuna. I also think that using organic fruits and vegetables is very important as well. There are a couple of cookbooks that have great paleo recipes in them. The Real Paleo Diet Cookbook as well as 500 Paleo Diet Recipes can get you started.

If you don’t have a lot of money to spend on paleo friendly foods, look to buy non-perishables in bulk wherever possible and try buying your meats online or at a warehouse type store. Additionally, plan meals that are based around ingredients you can find in your local grocery store, instead of a health food store. These are just some of the ways to cut costs while gaining health.

Final Thoughts

As with any new diet or healthy lifestyle, you’ve got to stick with it. I recommend you also take a multivitamin supplementalong with a calcium supplement (since this meal plan excludes dairy items). You probably won’t need to take a fish oil supplement with the fish consumption, but if you don’t care for fish, then I’d recommend you do take one. I really like this essential fatty acid supplement (and it’s affordable!). You can read all about what vitamins I recommend here.